ONE of the most endeared former players of Gilas Pilipinas has taken the task of calling the shots for the country’s top young Filipino cagers.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced last Tuesday night that it tapped Ginebra veteran playmaker LA Tenorio as the new coach of the Gilas Youth.
“The SBP is excited to have a true sportsman and role model in LA Tenorio as our Gilas Pilipinas Youth head coach,” SBP President Al Panlilio said. “He has great relationships with coach Norman Black who heads our grassroots program and coach Tim Cone of the elite level, and he’ll serve as the bridge between the two. When we first talked to LA about the idea, he was open to the challenge immediately.
“He even had a short list of coaches that he wanted to work with. He’s a natural leader and a winner on and off the court. He will teach our young athletes lessons they will use not only in basketball but in life as well,” he added.
Tenorio, 40, replaced Josh Reyes and will not come in in the cold.
He served as an assistant at Letran under former strategist Bonnie Tan for four years. Tenorio was also a deputy to Cone in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, where the Philippines ended its six-decade gold-medal dry spell.
“There’s a lot of pressure in the role because I’ll have big shoes to fill,” the 5-foot-9 Tenorio said. “What coach Josh Reyes accomplished by making it to two World Cups is not an easy feat but I’m excited to work with our young players and help them reach their full potential. I already talked to coach Tim, and I’ll be running a similar system so our youth players can easily transition to the men’s team.”
An eight-time PBA champion after stints with the defunct Alaska franchise and together with Cone at the Kings, Tenorio suited up for the Philippine squad that won the Jones Cup in 2012 where he was named MVP. He was also a member of the silver medal-winning quintet in the FIBA Asia Championship in 2014 and saw action in the World Cup 10 years ago in Spain.
“Coach Tim is big on continuity and that has been the reason why we’ve had a small pool for Gilas ever since he took over,” SBP executive director Erika Dy said. “Appointing coach LA as head of our age group teams at the youth level strengthens that process.
“The goal is to complete the player journey from our grassroots to the elite level, and having a Youth coach who knows the system of coach Tim by heart will be beneficial for everyone involved.”
